Ten years after his ignominious departure from Radio 1, Chris Evans sealed his broadcasting comeback with two big prizes at this year's Sony Radio Academy Awards.

The Radio 2 drivetime host is once again one of the BBC's brightest stars, and is seen as a leading contender to succeed Terry Wogan as the station's breakfast host when - or should that be if - the veteran DJ steps down at the end of his contract in 2009.

The man who helped reinvent live entertainment television with TFI Friday is also plotting a return to the small screen, possibly as a presenter, but more likely as a producer.

Evans was named music radio personality of the year at the 2007 Sony awards for the second year running, and beat Radio 1 breakfast host Chris Moyles to the coveted entertainment prize.

Evans' Radio 2 drivetime show averages 4.8 million listeners a week.

It is a far cry from a decade ago, when Evans' BBC career looked dead in the water after he walked out of the Radio 1 breakfast show when its then-controller Matthew Bannister refused his request for a four-day week.

Until then, Evans was the lad with the Midas touch. Bursting into the national consciousness with Gaby Roslin on the Big Breakfast, he went on to present and produce Channel 4 hits Don't Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday.

Since then, he has bought and sold Virgin Radio - making a reported £75m in the process but marred by his subsequent sacking from the station and an unsuccessful court case which cost him millions of pounds.

He moved to LA, married and then divorced Billie Piper, and has made unsuccessful attempts at a TV comeback with flops including Channel 4's Boys and Girls, ITV's OFI Sunday and The Terry and Gaby Show on Channel Five. He will be hoping his next TV effort fares rather better.

Evans' radio career was rescued by Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas, who hired him for occasional shows and gave him a Saturday slot before switching him to drivetime, replacing Johnnie Walker. The move proved controversial, with listeners inundating Douglas with complaints.

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